This & That: Quakes notes for Sept. 24, 2012

This Week

The San Jose Earthquakes (18-6-5, 60 pts.) will host FC Dallas (9-12-9, 36 pts.) on Saturday at Buck Shaw Stadium for Hall of Fame Night, presented by XFINITY. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PT and will air live on Comcast SportsNet California, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF. At halftime, the Quakes will induct former owner Milan Mandaric and former star forward Paul Child into the Earthquakes Hall of Fame.

FC Dallas Info

FC Dallas Scouting Report
After starting the season with 16 points from 15 games, FC Dallas (9-12-9, 36 pts.) has rallied into MLS Cup Playoff contention. The Texas squad is two points back of Vancouver Whitecaps FC (10-12-8, 38 pts.) with four games to play for the final postseason spot. Since losing 2-1 at Buck Shaw Stadium against the Earthquakes, FC Dallas has rattled off a 5-2-2 clip. Blas Perez and Fabian Castillo lead the way offensively with five goals apiece. Meanwhile 2010 Volkswagen MVP winner David Ferreira has rounded into form with six assists, all coming during FC Dallas’ 5-2-2 stretch.

History of the Quakes-FC Dallas Rivalry
The Earthquakes were 9-1-4 in the final 14 games against Dallas prior to San Jose’s relocation to Houston … The Quakes posted a seven-game winning streak during that stretch from July 20, 2002-Apr. 15, 2004 … San Jose and Dallas met in an important match on Oct. 16, 2004, as San Jose needed a win or a tie to advance to the playoffs, while Dallas needed a win to clinch the final berth in the playoffs. The two teams played to a 2-2 tie at the Cotton Bowl, giving San Jose a spot in the playoffs, while Dallas did not qualify. Ramiro Corrales scored the Quakes second goal in that game … On Sept. 27, 2003, San Jose’s Dwayne De Rosario scored the fastest goal from the start of the game in MLS history, netting a goal 11 seconds into the match at Spartan Stadium against Dallas. De Rosario would go on to net a hat trick in the game, the second hat trick in Quakes team history … The Earthquakes won both matches against FC Dallas last season … The Earthquakes defeated FC Dallas in a 2-0 road win in the first meeting of this season on Mar. 26, and closed out the 2011 season with a 4-2 win at Buck Shaw Stadium on Oct. 22 … In their first meeting this season, the two teams battled to a scoreless draw on July 7 at FC Dallas Stadium … The Earthquakes followed up with a 2-1 win on July 18 at Buck Shaw Stadium … The Quakes +25 goal differential against FC Dallas is the highest against any team in the league … San Jose is riding a five-game unbeaten streak against FC Dallas.

Earthquakes All-Time Leaders vs. FC Dallas
Defender Ramiro Corrales has four goals and six assists in 27 career appearances … Forward Chris Wondolowski has three goals and one assist in 14 career appearances … Midfielder Simon Dawkins has two goals in three career appearances … Goalkeeper Jon Busch is 7-3-4 with five shutouts in 14 career appearances.

FC Dallas All-Time Leaders vs. Earthquakes
Midfielder David Ferreira has two goals and two assists in seven career appearances … Midfielder Brek Shea has two goals and one assist in six career appearances … Defender Hernan Pertuz scored his first career MLS goal against San Jose on July 18, 2012 … Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman is 17-12-7 with 11 shutouts in 37 career appearances.

Earthquakes-FC Dallas Connections
FC Dallas’ Kevin Hartman and Ugo Ihemelu played for Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop in 2006 with the LA Galaxy ... In January 2009, Ihemelu and Earthquakes defender Jason Hernandez were both called up to the US Men’s National Team’s training camp before a friendly against Sweden … FC Dallas forward Scott Sealy played for the Earthquakes in 2008 and again from 2010-2011… In total, Sealy made 40 appearances for the Quakes and scored 2 goals … Earthquakes midfielder Marvin Chavez played for FC Dallas from 2009-2011, making 54 appearances and scoring 6 goals … FC Dallas forward Andrew Wiedeman (07-09) played his college soccer at Cal with Quakes goalkeeper David Bingham (08-10), and is from Oakland, Calif. … FC Dallas midfielder Andrew Jacobson (2003-2007) also attended Cal, and is from Palo Alto, Calif. … FC Dallas defender Bobby Warshaw is a 2011 SuperDraft first-round pick out of Stanford ... FC Dallas midfielder Daniel Hernandez played with San Jose defender Ramiro Corrales with the MetroStars in 2000 … FC Dallas defender Zach Lloyd and Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski have played together three times with the U.S. Men’s National Team, against Chile on January 22, 2011, against Venezuela on January 21, 2012, and against Panama on January 25, 2012 … FC Dallas forward Blas Perez, defender Carlos Rodriguez and Panama have faced off against Wondolowski and the USMNT in a friendly on January 25, 2012.

Miscellaneous Notes

Earthquakes to Attempt to Break Guinness World Record for Largest Groundbreaking Ceremony
Earthquakes Club President Dave Kaval announced the club will break ground on their new stadium on Sunday, Oct. 21 and will try to break a Guinness World Record for the largest groundbreaking ceremony in the process. Fans are invited to the landmark occasion and can RSVP by visiting www.sjearthquakes.com/groundbreaking. Anyone planning to attend can park for free starting at 10:30 a.m. at the new stadium site on the corner of Coleman Ave. and Newhall Ave. Check-in for diggers begins at 11:30 a.m. To ensure participation, fans should arrive before noon. In order to break the Guinness World Record, the club needs 4,533 participants to dig for two minutes.

Individual MLS Cup Playoff Tickets on Sale Wednesday
Individual tickets to the Earthquakes’ first home MLS Cup Playoff game go on sale Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 10 a.m. PT. Due to high demand during an exclusive Earthquakes Season Ticket Holder pre-sale and special March to the Cup mini-plans, fewer than 2,500 tickets remain for the match. Prior to the public on-sale date, fans can guarantee their MLS Cup Playoff seat by placing a $50 deposit on 2013 season tickets. That deposit also secures a spot in the club’s new stadium seat selection queue. For more information about season ticket packages, fans can visit www.sjearthquakes.com/newstadium. Individual tickets will be available at www.sjearthquakes.com or by calling 1-800-225-2277 while groups of 10 or more should call the club’s headquarters at 408-556-7700.

Final Two Home Games Sold Out
The Earthquakes announced last week that their remaining two home games – Sept. 29 vs. FC Dallas and Oct. 21 vs. LA Galaxy – are officially sold out. Fans can purchase MLS Cup Playoff tickets beginning Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 10 a.m. PT.

Child, Mandaric to be Inducted to Earthquakes Hall of Fame
Former star forward Paul Child and the team’s original owner Milan Mandaric will be inducted to the Earthquakes Hall of Fame during a ceremony at halftime of Saturday’s match against FC Dallas. The duo represented San Jose as members of the North American Soccer League (NASL) Earthquakes. To celebrate the occasion, 5,000 fans will receive a commemorative pin courtesy of XFINITY.

Quakes First in Western Conference, Supporters’ Shield Standings
The Earthquakes (18-6-5, 60 pts.) remain atop the Western Conference and Supporters’ Shield standings following last week’s results. San Jose holds a five-point advantage over Sporting Kansas City (16-7-7, 55 pts.) in the Supporters’ Shield race. Meanwhile, the Earthquakes are 11 points ahead of the LA Galaxy FC (15-11-4, 49 pts.) and Real Salt Lake (15-11-4, 49 pts.) in the Western Conference table.

Top of the League
Through 30 games, the Earthquakes are No. 1 in MLS with 62 goals scored and 64 assists. With 36 goals conceded, the Quakes are also No. 1 in the league with a +26 goal differential. Additionally, San Jose leads the league with 38 second-half goals and a +23 goal differential in the second half.

Race for the Budweiser Golden Boot
Chris Wondolowski remains in front of the pack in the race for the Budweiser Golden Boot. The Danville native has 22 goals, eight more than his closest pursuers, New York’s Kenny Cooper, LA Galaxy’s Robbie Keane and Real Salt Lake’s Alvaro Saborio.

Unbeaten Streak Continues at Buck Shaw
The Earthquakes extended their Buck Shaw Stadium unbeaten streak to 16 games with a 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers on Sept. 19. The Quakes’ last loss at Buck Shaw Stadium came against the Colorado Rapids on Aug. 13, 2011. San Jose’s all-time home-unbeaten streak record is 18 games, set from Sept. 25, 2004-Oct. 8, 2005 at Spartan Stadium. The Earthquakes are 9-0-4 at Buck Shaw this season and 10-1-4 at home including matches played at AT&T Park and Stanford Stadium.

More Unbeaten Streaks
The Earthquakes enter Saturday’s match riding a five-game MLS regular season unbeaten streak. San Jose is 4-0-1 following a 3-1 road loss against the Montreal Impact on Aug. 18. The club is also unbeaten in their last five games against FC Dallas dating back to Sept. 11, 2010, recording a 3-0-2 record during that time.

All-Time Wins/Points Records
The Earthquakes are one win away from tying the club’s all-time mark for wins in a season, set in 1999. Of the team’s 19 wins in 1999, 10 came via shootout with only nine in regulation. With 60 points and four games remaining, San Jose is also closing in on the club record for points in a season, set in 2005. The team ended 2005 with 64 points and an 18-4-10 record.

Road Warriors
Saturday’s 2-1 win against Seattle Sounders FC was the Earthquakes’ eighth road win of the season, second most in club history. San Jose’s Supporters’ Shield run in 2005 featured a benchmark 9-4-3 road clip.

Wondolowski Breaks MLS Single Season Record for Game-Winning Goals
Chris Wondolowski recorded his 10th game-winning goal of the season in San Jose’s 2-1 victory over Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, a new MLS record. The previous mark was nine set by Wondolowski in 2010 and former LA Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz in 2002. Wondolowski has scored the game winner in 10 of San Jose’s 18 wins to date.

Wondolowski Closing in on Club Scoring Mark
Chris Wondolowski is two goals away from matching Ronald Cerritos’ club record for career goals scored. Cerritos scored 61 goals in 148 games over six seasons in San Jose. Meanwhile, Wondolowski has 59 goals in 102 games over five seasons for the Earthquakes.

20-Goal Club
Chris Wondolowski became the 10th player in MLS history to score 20 or more goals in a single season with his brace in San Jose’s 2-2 draw against Portland last week. He added to that total with the game-winning goal against Seattle on Saturday, upping the Budweiser Golden Boot leader’s haul to 22 on the year. The last player to score 20 in a single season was Landon Donovan with the LA Galaxy in 2008. Before that, the last time a player scored 22 or more in a season was 2002 when Carlos Ruiz and Taylor Twellman scored 24 and 23, respectively.

Efficient Scorers
Alan Gordon and Chris Wondolowski lead MLS in goals per 90 minutes among players with at least 1,000 minutes logged in 2012. Gordon has scored an amazing clip of 0.95 goals per 90 minutes while Wondolowski is next on the list with a 0.81 rate. Injured Toronto FC Designated Player Danny Koevermans is next with a 0.68 mark followed closely by New York’s Thierry Henry at 0.67.

Corrales Bobblehead Day, Presented by Wells Fargo
The Earthquakes unveiled last week that their final home game of the season, Oct. 21 vs. the LA Galaxy, will be Ramiro Corrales Bobblehead Day, presented by Wells Fargo. Per the promotion, 5,000 fans will receive a Corrales bobblehead. In addition to the giveaway, Wells Fargo will host a kickoff party featuring Corrales on Friday, Sept. 28 at a Wells Fargo store in Sunnyvale – 1241 S. Mary Ave. – from 4 to 7 p.m. Each person to open a checking account will receive an Earthquakes Fun Pack, which includes an autographed Corrales bobblehead and Earthquakes T-shirt. The event will also feature a local high school marching band, DJ, face painting and autograph signing.

Fifth Annual Soccer Silicon Valley Community Foundation Banquet Set for Oct. 12
The Fifth Annual Soccer Silicon Valley Community Foundation Awards Banquet is slated for Friday, Oct. 12 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. featuring former Earthquakes defender Jimmy Conrad as the keynote speaker. The event also includes the Andrew Bedard “Spirit of the Game” Award given to an Earthquakes player for the charitable works throughout the year. For ticket, donation and sponsorship information visit www.ssvcf.org/annualdinner.html.

Wells Fargo Goals for Education
Wells Fargo has again pledged to donate $250 for each goal the Earthquakes score in 2012 through the Goals for Education program. With 62 goals through 30 games, the donated total for this season already stands at $15,500. Thanks to 40 goals in 2011, the partnership raised $10,000 for local youth soccer and athletic development programs a year ago.